Seger Seals Tulsa’s 4-3 Win over Rice

Sunday, March 16

Tulsa, Okla.

1:00 p.m.

Tulsa

Rice

Photo by: Alina Lebedeva

Seger Seals Tulsa’s 4-3 Win over Rice

3/16/2025 4:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa men's tennis team enjoyed their second 4-3 victory of the weekend on Sunday when clutch play by junior Timothy Carlsson Seger helped stave off a furious Rice comeback on the outdoor courts of the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Dominant doubles play and wins from the upper half of the Golden Hurricane singles lineup moved Tulsa to 9-11 on the season and dropped Rice to 10-6.

Tulsa earned its fourth consecutive doubles point after taking the top two courts in 6-3 decisions. This time, sophomore Alex Okonkwo and Seger clinched the opening tally for the Hurricane at the No. 1 position.

Okonkwo struck first atop the lineup, pummeling Petro Kuzmenok 6-1, 6-2 for his 19^th win of the 2024-25 season. Junior Luis Felipe Miguel matched Okonkwo in the second court, earning a 6-1, 6-2 win of his own to earn his fourth consecutive win and put the Hurricane up 3-0 on the Owls.

Rice clawed back into the race with wins in the bottom half of the lineup, taking positions four and five in 6-4, 6-2 decisions and a 6-2, 6-1 rout at No. 6.

It all came down to Seger in the three-spot against Santiago Navarro. It was the only match of the day to go to three sets, and Seger was up 5-3 in the second set when all eyes moved to him.

After falling 6-4 in the first set, Seger powered his way to a 6-3 second-set win, which was followed by a 6-4 decision in the third to clinch the 4-3 team win for Tulsa. Seger escaped a 4-4 tie late in the third frame with clutch play and smart swings. The big-time win snaps a five-match losing streak for the Taby, Sweden, product and sets him up for the final stretch of AAC matches on deck for TU.

The Tulsa men will hit the road for Tampa, Fla., to take on The American's top-ranked squad, the No. 23 South Florida Bulls (14-3), on Wednesday, March 19, at 12:30 p.m. Central.

Singles
1. #102 Alex Okonkwo (TU) def. Petro Kuzmenok (Rice) 6-1, 6-2
2. Luis Felipe Miguel (TU) def. Arthus de la Bassetiere (Rice) 6-1, 6-2
3. Timothy Carlsson Seger (TU) def. Santiago Navarro (Rice) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Tommy Czaplinski (Rice) def. Nikola Puntaric (TU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Kabeer Kapasi (Rice) def. Reiya Komagata (TU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Emir Sendogan (Rice) def. Gus Tettamble (TU) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Okonkwo/Seger (TU) def. Kuzmenok/Navarro (Rice) 6-3
2. Miguel/Tettamble (TU) def. Kapasi/Sarouk (Rice) 6-3
3. Pellegrini/Jestin (TU) vs. De la Bassetiere/Morais (Rice) 4-5, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,2,6,4,5,3)